Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
A woman in Worcestershire, Anna Downes, spoke out about feeling ignored and like a “nuisance” by West Mercia Police after receiving pornographic images and videos from a man she had met at work. Downes, a professional violinist and teacher, encountered the man, Ben Gunnery, during a concert in 2024. Following the encounter, she started receiving explicit messages and photos from Gunnery, which left her feeling violated and horrified.
Despite reporting the incident to West Mercia Police in September, it took nearly six months for Gunnery to be arrested, convicted, and given a two-year community order. Downes felt compelled to investigate the crime herself as she struggled to get a resolution from the authorities. The delay and lack of progress in her case led her to contact the BBC in January, which expedited the transfer of her case to the Metropolitan Police.
Gunnery, a 45-year-old musician from Vauxhall, London, was found guilty of intentionally causing alarm, distress, and humiliation by sending explicit images to Downes. During his trial in May, he admitted to struggling with a cocaine addiction and claimed he had meant to send the images to his partner. The judge handed Gunnery a two-year community order with 150 hours of unpaid work, warning him of imprisonment if he reoffended.
Downes’s decision to speak out was motivated by a desire to encourage others who may have experienced similar incidents. She emphasized the importance of calling out such behavior and not normalizing it, hoping to prevent future occurrences. Despite facing delays and feeling disregarded by the police, Downes persevered in seeking justice, inspired by another woman’s experience with a similar case that was ultimately reopened after a review. Both West Mercia Police and the Metropolitan Police apologized for the delay and reassured Downes that her case was being handled seriously
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.